Clueless
by pottermum
Summary: Harry and Ginny. Best friends and Roommates. Everyone can see thet are perfect for each other. It's a pity they are both Clueless
1. Chapter 1

"Alone again, naturally," sang twenty one year old Harry Potter, laying on his bed. He was feeling quite sorry for himself. It was Friday night and he had been dumped, just twenty-four hours ago.

"Good God, when did we get a cat, and why is it in so much pain?" asked twenty year Ginny Weasley, with a smirk. She shared the flat with Harry, and she now stood in his doorway.

"Gin, you're home! When did you get back from Egypt?" asked Harry, rolling on to his side.

Ginny laughed as she came to sit on his bed. "Obviously, I'm home, the team arrived back just before lunch, but we had to fill out our reports. Now I've got some time off, and I come home and find my best friend is depressed. What's going on?"

"It's Padma, she dumped me last night. I can't believe it, I thought things were going well. Well that's it, another relationship down the drain. I need to face it, I'm destined to be alone."

"My my, we are feeling sorry for ourselves aren't we? Let's get a bit of perspective, shall we? When I left for Egypt two weeks ago, you were getting ready for your first date with Padma, so I really don't think you can say it was a relationship. Did you sleep with her?" asked Ginny, patting his arm.

Harry nodded. "I know, I know, it was only two weeks. I did my usual, you know, we met for a coffee and chatted for our first date, that seemed to go well. The next one was dinner and a movie, that didn't go so well, she didn't like the movie I chose. Then, there's my third date," said Harry.

"You cooked her dinner here, and put the moves on her. It obviously went well, so what's the problem? Why would she dump you?" asked Ginny, confused.

"Well, she enjoyed the meal, but we were talking about the old Hogwarts days, and I mentioned how pretty she looked when I took her to the Yule Ball," said Harry.

"Oh-oh. Harry, you prat, you took her sister Parvati to the ball, Ron took Padma," said Ginny, shaking her head.

"How do you remember stuff like that? Anyway, I tried to joke my way out of it, but she wasn't buying it. Anyway we moved to the couch and we started snogging, that was going really well, so we made the move to the bedroom. That's when it all went wrong," said Harry, sadly.

Ginny burst out laughing. "What, you got sex wrong?"

"According to her, yes. Things were going really well, then she wanted me to, you know, so I did," said Harry, pointing down. Ginny nodded to indicate she understood.

"Then she started criticising me, do it harder, more tongue, higher, too high, faster, slower. Merlin, I thought she'd never shut up!"

"Oh Harry!" said Ginny, laughing hard.

"So she leaves after that, without any relief for me. I didn't hear from her for a couple of days so I went over to her house. She answered, didn't let me in, told me we were through, but then thanked me."

"What for?" asked Ginny.

"Get this, thanks to her night with me, she'd decided she's off men and going the other way. She's got a girlfriend, she was there, she came to the door, She asked Padma, 'is this him?' and Padma nodded. She smirked at me, and thanked me. Padma just said no hard feelings, and shut the door. I was so embarrassed,"said Harry, sadly.

Ginny burst out laughing, then tried to stop as Harry glared at her. He sat up in bed and crossed his arms grumpily. "It's not funny, Gin"

Ginny scooted up and sat next to him. "I'm sorry, Harry. But never fear, Ginny is here! When did all this happen?"

"Last night," said Harry.

"Right, did you go to work today?"

Harry shook his head. "Day off."

"So, you came home, got drunk, slept in," Ginny sniffed. "Showered, maybe made a sandwich, but came back to bed, where you've been ever since. How close am I?"

Harry scowled. "It was toast, not a sandwich. Otherwise, pretty spot on. Am I really that predictable?"

Ginny smiled, laying her head on his shoulder. "Harry, you want to be in love so bad, you're making something out of nothing. You have to let it happen naturally. Ever since Ron and Hermione moved in together, you've made it your mission to find the perfect girl. You even dated that Muggle for a few weeks, and we all knew that wasn't going to work."

"Things were going well with Lisa, I just hated the lying, about my job, my friends, my whole life," said Harry.

"Yes Harry, we know. Now, lucky for you, I'm here. It's time to move into Phase two,' said Ginny.

"Phase two?" asked Harry.

Ginny nodded. "Phase two is when you go out with your best friend, and we have an absolute blast, and you forget all about your so called relationship with Parvati, sound good?"

"Padma, it was with Padma. Yeah, that actually sounds good. I was invited by Pete, one of the other Aurors, to meet him and his friends at a Muggle pub for a meal and a game of darts and some drinks. What do you reckon?"

"That sounds great! You never know, you might meet 'the one' tonight. Just don't go looking for it. Now, I'm jumping in the shower. I'm starved, hope they do a good meal there," said Ginny, giving Harry a kiss on the cheek before leaving his room.

"Hey Gin?" called Harry.

Ginny poked her head back around the door.

"I'm glad you're home," said Harry, smiling.

Ginny winked at him, and disappeared into the bathroom. Harry heard the shower going, and he got up to go through his wardrobe. He felt better already.

'Islands in the stream, that is what are,

No one in between, how can we be wrong.

Sail away with me to another world.

And we rely on each other, aha

From one lover to another, aha.'

Applause broke out as the song came to an end.

"Okay people, that was our last couple, it's now up to you, the audience to cheer for your favourites. Then we'll see who will be crowned tonight's Karaoke King and Queen." said the MC.

"-and our last couple, singing 'Islands in the Stream', give a big cheer for Harry and Ginny!"

The audience went crazy. It helped that Harry's fellow Auror Pete, had brought along a few of his friends.

"Well folks, we have a winner. Harry and Ginny, come back up here and get your crowns. Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight's King and Queen of karaoke! Next up is girls only..."

Harry and Ginny left the stage, laughing hysterically. "Oh my god, that was so much fun, I can't believe we won!" said Harry, slightly tipsy.

"What do you mean? Together we can do anything. We were bloody (belch) brilliant, 'scuse me," laughed Ginny. "What's next?" she asked, leaning against Harry. "Hey, let's go and find Pete."

They found Pete and a couple of his friends involved in a card game. There wasn't many seats so Harry sat down and pulled Ginny on to his lap. They watched the game; Ginny enthusiastically offering her opinion. She was soon pulled in to the game when someone had to leave. Harry had played with her before, so he wasn't too worried. Pete slid into a vacant seat beside him.

"Ginny's a great girl, Potter. You're a lucky guy," said Pete.

"I am lucky, Ginny's the best," said Harry, slurring his words.

"You never said your girlfriend was such a babe. Half your luck going home with that tonight," said Pete.

"Hey, don't you talk about Gin like that, she-"

"I don't believe it!" said Jack, one of Pete's friends. "She's can't, can she?" he asked rhetorically, causing Harry and Pete to watch the game that Ginny was playing.

Ginny had laid down a ten of hearts, then a jack of hearts. She paused, looking at her opponent.

The crowd gathered around, feeling like something big was about to happen. The crowd was hushed.

Ginny tilted her karaoke crown and laid down a queen of hearts. The crowd cheered. Her opponent wiped the sweat from his brow.

She laid down a king of hearts. The crowd cheered again. Ginny took a drink and looked over at Harry. She winked at him.

Ginny slowly laid down her final card. It was the ace of hearts. The crowd went wild.

"A Royal Flush, I don't believe it, she had a bloody Royal Flush. Do you know what the pot was worth? She just won five hundred quid," said Jack, in astonishment.

Ginny shook hands with her opponent, then took him over to the bar and bought him a drink. She beckoned Harry over.

"Karaoke Queen and Card Sharp, who knew!" he declared, laughing as he hugged her.

"Here Harry, hold the money, I don't know Muggle money," she said under her breath. "Will you buy me a drink, get me one of those cider thingies, get a drink for yourself. I'll be back with Pete and the guys," she said, disappearing into the crowd.

Harry turned back to the bar and placed the order. A large guy came up and stood next to him.

"That your woman?" he asked.

"She's with me, yes," said Harry defensively.

"But she's not your woman? I wanna take her out. Tell her, will ya. I'll be over there," he said, pointing.

"No, I-" Too late, the big man left. Harry took his drinks and made his way over to Ginny, who was swaying to the music coming from the next round of karaoke.

"Ah, Gin, I think you've got an admirer. That big bloke over there, he wants to take you out," said Harry, handing her a drink and nodding in the guy's direction.

Ginny glanced over and back. "No. Thanks for the drink. Wanna dance?"

Harry winced. "No? That's all you're gonna say? No?" asked Harry

Ginny looked at him. No, thank you?" she said, confused. Harry shook his head.

Ginny laughed and pulled his hand. "Come and dance with me, Harry."

She led him onto the tiny dance floor close to the karaoke stage. Harry usually hated dancing, but he found the more drinks he had, the better he danced. He was doing moves he didn't even know. Ginny was encouraging him, and copying his dance moves. Harry didn't remember when he'd had so much fun.

He excused himself to go to the bathroom. He was doing his fly up as he came out, and a hand clamped on his shoulder. Harry tensed and looked up.

"Well, what did Red say?" asked the large guy.

"Red said thanks, but no thanks," said Harry, trying to duck past him.

"Why?" the guy asked. Harry shrugged, wanting to get back to Ginny.

"I'll tell you what, you and me, we're gonna have a game of darts. Whoever wins, gets Red," said the guy.

"Look mate, I'm not really-"

"Five minutes. You better be back here in five minutes. Bring Red. I want her to see me whip your scrawny butt!"

"Hey!" called Harry, but the large guy had left. Harry went back to Ginny, who handed him a drink.

"You need to go and tell him no, that you're not interested," said Harry.

"No," said Ginny. Harry nodded.

"Good, tell him that," said Harry, looking around.

"No," repeated Ginny. Harry swung back to look at her.

"What?" he asked.

"I said, no, I'm not going to tell him that. Larry just came and told me you have to play a game of darts, I want to see," laughed Ginny.

"Who the hell is Larry?" asked Harry, scratching his head.

"Larry, the new love of my life, according to him. Him," she said pointing to the large guy.

Larry the large guy beckoned him over. Harry gulped down his drink, which turned out to be a big mistake.

Ginny, Pete and Pete's friends went over with Harry, and they met Larry.

"Right, we're gonna have a nice friendly game. After you've thrown your dart, you scull a drink, got it. We'll throw ten rounds, highest score gets the girl, got it?" asked Larry.

Harry nodded. Larry went first, then sculled his beer. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and belched.

"You're up, scrawny butt," said Larry.

Ginny smacked his butt. "Go get 'em, scrawny butt!" she called.

Harry turned and glared at her, and she blew him a kiss.

"You sure you two ain't together?" asked Larry, leering at Ginny. "What's wrong with ya, ya blind or something? She's a firecracker!"

Harry concentrated on the dartboard, hitting an eighteen. He threw a victorious look at Larry, who had thrown a thirteen.

Fifteen minutes later, and the crowd from the girls karaoke had drifted over to the dart game. Word had spread that two men were 'playing for the affections of a young lady', as one old timer put it. More colourful versions were doing the rounds of the pub.

"Geez, can't you ever just have a nice quiet night at the pub, mate?" asked Pete, clapping him on the back. Harry scowled at him. The scores were close with only a couple of rounds to go.

The Harry and Larry show was drawing to a conclusion. The throws were getting worse, and the men were getting drunker, as were the people watching. Ginny was getting nervous, and she kept drinking too.

Finally it came to an end, yet, unbelievably the scores were tied. A groan and a cheer went up.

"One more throw, highest score wins," slurred Larry.

Harry smiled drunkenly.

Larry went first. He threw an eighteen. A roar went up from the crowd. He sauntered over to Ginny.

"You and me, Red. We're gonna have a bit of fun later. Hope you're as fiery in the sack as the colour of your hair," he said, winking at Ginny.

Ginny tossed another drink back. She shot a look at Harry that seemed to say 'Do something!'

Harry watched Larry brush his hand down Ginny's hair. "Your hair's so pretty, it's like fire, so many colours," he said, patting her like she was a pet.

Harry narrowed his eyes. He didn't like Larry touching Ginny, he shouldn't be doing that. Ginny wasn't Larry's to touch, she was, she was -

"Oy, Harry, it's your throw. You've got to beat an eighteen. Good luck mate," yelled Pete.

Harry looked at Pete, then at Larry, still standing next to Ginny, whispering things in her ear. Harry could tell Ginny was getting pissed off, and she was fingering her wand. He knew things could be about to get ugly. He took a deep breath and turned back to the dartboard and focused, well, tried to focus.

Harry chanced a look back, and met Ginny's eyes. She had a blazing look in her eyes, and he almost thought he could hear her thoughts. 'You can do this, Harry, I believe in you.' Harry threw the dart. Harry closed his eyes.

A cheer went up, and Harry opened his eyes. Pete and his mate were around him. "Bloody brilliant, mate, you hit the bloody bullseye. You won, Harry, you won!"

Harry raised his hands in a victory salute, and next thing he knew Ginny threw herself onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist and hugging him. "You did it. I knew you could, knew you would. My hero!"

Without even thinking what he was doing, Harry palmed the back of her head and kissed her hard.

Ginny froze then leaned in to the kiss. They were both completely unaware of the crowd hooting and whistling. They pulled apart and stared at each other, before bursting into laughter.

They shook hands with Larry, and waved goodbye to Pete and his mates. Several people stopped to congratulate them as they left.

Finally they made their way out of the pub. Larry and Pete watched them stumble around, leaning against each other, Harry wearing Ginny's karaoke Queen crown, his lost somewhere. They were giggling and stumbling, arm in arm, as they headed for the apparition point near the pub. Harry stopped to crouch down, and Ginny hopped on his back.

"Giddyup, Scrawny Butt!" she called.

Larry said, "ain't together, my ass!"

Pete and Larry sighed, and looked at each other. "Clueless, both of 'em."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry and Ron made their way to the apparition points around Exmoor stadium as quickly as they could. Luckily there wasn't a huge crowd in attendance, as it was the Chudley Cannons vs the Ballycastle Bats; neither had a huge following as it had been years since either side had won the Quidditch Cup. Only the faithful went to the games, and as Ron had a spare ticket, Harry had said he'd go.

It had been a couple of weeks since Harry and Ginny's drunken night out. They had both woken up late the next day, quickly downing the hangover potion Ginny had the foresight to leave out in readiness the night before. They then spent the day in their pyjamas, laying on the couch together, watching movies and ordering take out for tea. Harry had introduced Ginny to his collection of Muggle movies and, like her father, Ginny was fascinated with all things Muggle. She loved watching Harry's movies, and they had endless discussions about the Star Wars saga.

Harry and Ron waited in queue when they reached the apparition point. It wasn't too long, but Harry knew they had a few minutes before they'd make it to the head of the queue.

"Wonder what Hermione's cooking for tea. I'm starving!" said Ron cheerfully. The Cannons had surprisingly had a win, and he was in a good mood. "Pity we didn't have time to stop off at the pub for a drink with the boys, and really celebrate this victory," said Ron, gesturing to a group of Cannon fans who came every week, rain, hail or shine.

Harry winced. "You didn't tell me Hermione was actually cooking. Has she gotten any better?" he asked.

Ron laughed and shrugged. "Nah, not really. Lucky I've got a cast iron stomach, don't you think?" he said, patting his stomach. "Besides, she tries so hard, she follows the recipe, but I don't know, things just don't come out right. Funny, she was always top of the class in Potions. Anyway, I'd eat anything she made, and you will too. I don't want her feelings getting hurt, understand?"

"Yeah sure, no worries, I just really fancied some greasy fish and chips. I know she's trying to do better at the cooking; I'll eat everything on my plate, I swear," promised Harry.

They moved forward with the crowd. Ron spoke again. "I think she thinks she has to cook as well as Mum, which is crazy. She forgets that Mum didn't go out to work, especially as hard as Hermione does. I don't want her to think she has to come home and prepare me a meal, you know. Sometimes, if we get off early, I like to come home and get things ready for her. So as soon as she comes home from work, I tell her to go hop in the bath, pour her a glass of wine, then get the meal ready for when she comes out. It's nice, I like doing things like that for her."

"Wow, Ron, I'm really impressed," said Harry, genuinely surprised.

Ron shrugged. "She took such good care of us on the Horcrux hunt, well, she's not the most girly girl, thank goodness, but she's special, my 'Mione. I like to tell her that everyday. We wasted so much time earlier, and I can't bear to think about what my life would be like if something happened to her, especially after, well, all that"

Ron didn't have to mention Malfoy Manor for Harry to know what he meant. Harry knew Hermione still had nightmares about being tortured, although less frequently these days. Ron had struggled with how to help Hermione best; together they went to counselling, and Ron was her best source of comfort.

Harry patted Ron on the back in consolation; finally they moved to the head of the queue, and apparated down the road from Ron and Hermione's little cottage, just on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole.

"I'm happy for you, mate, for both of you. I've seen it coming since fourth year really and-"

"Second year. I knew in second year that I had feelings for her, I just didn't know what they were," said Ron.

"Really?" asked Harry.

"Seeing her petrified, well, it makes a bloke think about what life would have been like without her around. Course, we were only twelve at the time," laughed Ron, waving to a neighbour.

"So, why wait so long to get together?" asked Harry.

"You, to be honest. She hugged you, not me, when she woke up from being petrified, she believed you about the whole Tri-Wizard cup thing, she chose to stay with you when I walked out during the Horcrux hunt. You saw how that made me feel when I destroyed the locket, I was jealous," said Ron.

"Ron, mate, there's never been anything like that between Hermione and me," said Harry, frowning.

"I know, and well, after the Battle, all that crap didn't matter anyway. We made it, all of us, and when you think how close we came at times, well, it made me realise how much I love her. No-one can know what it was like for me, for her, well, except you. I couldn't imagine being with someone who really didn't understand what we'd been through, can you?"

Harry shook his head. "I think that's why I've going out with girls I knew at Hogwarts. They know me, my past, sort of knew what I've been through. It's like starting out on the second date. It's probably why things never would have worked out with Lisa."

Ron smirked as he checked the letter box, then made his way up the drive. "Ya think?" he teased.

"Git", replied Harry.

"Prat!" shot back Ron, tripping over his shoes left laying in the hall.

"Dumbass!" laughed Harry.

"Ron, Harry, I wasn't expecting you home just yet. Ron, give me your scarf, and I'll hang it up," said Hermione, reaching up as Ron was quite taller than she was.

Harry was suddenly jealous, wishing he had someone to greet him and take his scarf.

Ron grabbed her around the waist, and kissed her. "Cannons won, love, can you believe it? What's for dinner, we're starving?"

Hermione shot an embarrassed glance at Harry. "Ron, really, not in front of everyone, er Harry. Um, I was going to make steak and kidney pie-"

Ron and Harry's mouths and stomach's drooled.

"-but I had some problems. Ron, I really do think it's the oven that's faulty. Anyway, it burnt, it was totally ruined."

"So, no tea?" asked Ron, crestfallen. Harry's stomach rumbled.

Hermione scoffed. "Of course there's tea. Ginny's just popped out to get it, she should be back any-"

"I'm back, Hermione," called Ginny from the kitchen. They all headed there.

"Hey guys, how was the game? I heard a rumour the Cannons won, is it true? Oh Hermione, do we really need plates, it's fish and chips, we can just eat out of the paper, can't we?"

"I suppose so. Ron, take them through to the dining table please, I'll bring in some glasses and things."

Ron nodded and went to grab the fish and chips.

"Hey you, have fun with Ron?" asked Ginny, coming over to Harry as they headed into the dining room.

"Well, the Cannons won, so I guess history was made today, Merlin knows when it will happen again. I could kiss you, though," said Harry, unaware Hermione was watching and listening to the pair.

"For what? Here, let me get your scarf, Harry," said Ginny, unwinding the Gryffindor scarf Harry still wore.

Harry leaned in to her, and, behind the door, Hermione leaned closer to hear. "Don't tell Hermione, but I really felt like fish and chips for tea, so I'm kind of glad her pie burnt. Now, if you happen to have a pint, then I think I'm gonna have to marry you," he grinned.

Hermione gasped, then covered her mouth with her hand. Neither heard her, as Ginny laughed.

They went to sit down, and Hermione came in, carrying bread and butter and glasses. "What do you want to drink?" she asked.

Ginny smirked and pulled out a six pack of lager. Harry dramatically grabbed his heart, causing Ginny to laugh again. Hermione smiled, as she watched the interaction between the two. Even Ron was looking between them, aware of something happening.

"So, tell me about the match?" said Ginny, taking out two pieces of bread. She put one of her plate, and buttered another one and gave it Harry.

Hermione watched fascinated, as Harry poured sauce all over his chips, then poured a little on the side of Ginny's plate. Ron and Hemione glanced at each other, then concentrated on their food.

Ron talked enthusiastically about the Cannons victory, with Harry adding things here and there. As Ginny was a big Quidditch fan, despite having chosen to go to Auror training rather than pursue a Quidditch career, she liked to keep up to date on the season. Hermione was content to sit back and listen to the three discuss their favourite teams. Ginny's was the Holyhead Harpies, the team who had tried to recruit her. Harry's was Puddlemere United, because Oliver Wood played for them.

As they let their dinner settle, Hermione had the chance to talk with Harry while Ron and Ginny tidied up the kitchen and had a look at the oven.

"So, Harry, are you seeing any one at the moment?" she asked.

Harry shook his head as he reached for another beer. "You heard about me and Padma, didn't you? Well, that's it, there's been no-one since. I've just been having fun hanging out with Gin, while she's been home," said Harry, contentedly.

"Well, there's no rush, is there? What exactly are you looking for in a girl, anyway? What went wrong with your other relationships?" asked Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I like being part of a couple, I like having someone to come home to, to plan things with. I see you and Ron, and I want that too. You guys are great together, you know that, right?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but Harry, Ron and I have known each other since we were eleven. We've been through so much together, that when we finally got together, well, it's like we were already a couple."

"I know, that's why I've been dating girls that I know from Hogwarts. Susan Bones, Cho, well, that was a mistake I won't ever go back to; and now Padma. I don't expect to hear back from her any time soon," sighed Harry.

"Well, what is it you want in a relationship, Harry?" asked Hermione, curiously.

"Oh, I don't know, just someone to be with, to hang out with. Someone that doesn't care about the whole 'Harry Potter' shit, and just likes me for me."

"What's your perfect woman like Harry?"asked Hermione.

Harry paused to think, as sound of laughter came from the kitchen. He smiled at the sound.

"I want, well, a girl that's fun to be with, one that I can talk to, or just be comfortable with. Smart, sexy, likes Quidditch, and I guess a little bit crazy to put up with all my moods and stuff. Sometimes I work crazy hours, so she should be independent. She has to get along with my friends, and the Weasley's. She has to like kids, because there's Teddy, and eventually I want to have kids of my own. Oh, and she should be amazing in bed!" finished Harry.

Hermione had just taken a drink, and at Harry's last comment, she spat her mouthful of beer out. Harry burst out laughing, and handed her a napkin.

"Gotcha! Seriously, it's the little things that I like, you know, about being in a relationship, like knowing what sort of things we each like for breakfast-"

"Oh, Hermione, that reminds me, I'm gonna snatch a couple of eggs off you, for Harry's breakfast tomorrow. Dippy eggs and toasty soldiers, okay, Harry?" asked Ginny, poking her head through the door separating the kitchen to the dining room. Harry nodded eagerly. Ginny winked at him, and disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Anything else, Harry?" asked Hermione with a shake of head. How could he not see what is right in front of him?

"Just knowing our favourite movies and music, food, cuddling on the couch, spending time with Teddy. God, I'm sounding like a big girl, aren't I? Er, no offence," said Harry.

"Here you go, love. Choc chip ice cream for dessert," said Ron, coming in with a bowl for Hermione and himself.

"Here Harry, vanilla with chocolate sauce on top, with a sprinkle of nuts," said Ginny, coming in to place a big bowl in front of Harry.

"Aren't you having any, Gin?" asked Ron. She shook her head, but looked hopefully at Harry.

Harry sighed and slid his bowl over between them. Ginny pulled out a spoon and took a scoop of Harry's dessert. They clicked their spoons together, and started eating.

Ron and Hermione watched them, and turned to look at each other, raising their eyebrows.

Harry and Ginny stayed for another hour, then made their way to the fireplace to floo home. Harry helped Ginny with her coat, and Ginny wound the scarf back around Harry's neck. They left, promising to be in touch soon for another get together.

Ron turned to Hermione. "Is it me, or is there something going on between them?"

Hermione sighed. "No, Ron, you're right. There is something definitely going on there, I just don't think they are even aware of it."

"How can they not know? Did you see him tonight, he knew how she liked the sauce on her plate, knew she'd wanna share his ice cream," said Ron.

"What about Ginny? She knows he likes his bread buttered and what flavour ice cream he likes, and what he likes for breakfast!" asked Hermione.

"Maybe it's just because they're room-mates. They'd eat together a lot, I suppose," said Ron.

"Yes, but it's the way they do things for each other, it's so sweet. Oh, I just want to grab them and shake them. They could be so good together," sighed Hermione.

"Well, I can't think of a better bloke for my sister. Honestly, I thought I was bad when it came to you, but, let's face it, they're both just-"

"Clueless," they said together.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry and Ron were in their office at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They had just completed an assignment, and after briefing Gawain Robards, their boss, they now had to write up their reports.

Harry and Ron had joined the Aurors straight after leaving Hogwarts, as did several other students in their year. Ginny had joined them when she had finished, but then after the first year she had quit, and got an apprenticeship with Bill, as a curse breaker. While Harry was disappointed not to be working with Ginny, her new career path seemed a perfect fit for Ginny. She enjoyed the research about the history of the curses; then the chance to go and put her knowledge to work in the field.

Ginny found she enjoyed the travelling more than she thought she would. As a first year apprentice, she was mainly based in England, and working at Gringott's and occasionally the Ministry. Her second year afforded her the opportunity to work in Egypt, where Bill spent a lot of his time. It was at this time that she moved in with Harry. She decided she needed to move out of the Burrow, and when Hermione and Ron decided to move in together, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

Harry raced through his report, cursing that they both had to write out individual reports. He kept glancing at the clock, then scribbling furiously. Ron, who was pleased with their work that morning, was content to take his time, pausing to go and chat with fellow Aurors, and confirming several facts with Harry. Just as he was settling down to write his report properly, Harry stood up, signed his report, and put it in his 'Out' tray. He straightened his desk, popped a breath mint, went to the loo, and brushed his hair. Ron watched on, amused.

"Right, I'm done, so I'm taking an early lunch. I'll catch you later," said Harry.

Ron leaned back in his chair, grinning. "Ooh, got a hot date, have we?"

Harry winked at Ron. "You know it!" he said.

Ron wondered if it was with Ginny. Hermione would kill him if he didn't find out. "Any one I know?" asked Ron, trying to appear indifferent.

"Oh yeah, you know her. You're pretty close to her actually," smiled Harry.

_'Yes!'_ thought Ron. "Well, I can't think of too many women I'm close to, one or two, unless you count Mum, and Fleur, and Aunt Muriel and-"

"It's none of them, all right? Look, I have to go, I don't want to keep her waiting," said Harry, anxious to get away.

"She must be pretty special, the way you're carrying on," cried Ron, as Harry left their office.

Harry popped his head back around the corner, "She is. It's your girlfriend, actually. I'm meeting Hermione. See ya!"

"Hey, wait, I'll come too," called Ron, starting to get up.

Robards took that moment to walk past their office. "Weasley, you're not going any where till I get your report, understood?" He continued walking, not waiting for a reply.

"Damn," said Ron, sitting back down. He hoped Hermione knew what she was doing.

Harry hurried downstairs; he was meeting Hermione in a little cafe close to the Ministry. He walked in and looked around, spotting her straight away. He went over to her and kissed her cheek. "Been waiting long?" he asked.

Hermione appeared nervous. "Oh, Harry, hi, no, I've only been here a few minutes."

Harry looked around. "There's a couple of spare tables over there, it looks like all the booths are taken," he said, pointing.

Harry agreed, so they went to the counter and ordered their meal and got their drinks. They made their way to a table, then Hermione ventured over to an occupied booth and slid in.

Harry said, "Hermione, I don't think-hey, what's going on?"

"Sit down, Harry," said Hermione, in a voice Harry knew meant no arguing. Harry sat down and looked around. "Ladies," he said in suspicious greeting.

Sitting in the booth were Cho Chang, Susan Bones, Padma and Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown.

"Harry," they all said in greeting, some friendly, some not.

Hermione could sense how uncomfortable Harry was, and knew she'd have to act fast or Harry would get up and leave. "Ladies, I'd like to thank you all for coming today-"

"You mean you arranged this?" asked Harry, surprised. Hermione nodded and continued.

"-and wanting to help Harry. You have, at some stage, been in a relationship with him and-"

"Not me, I just came to see Harry squirm!" quipped Lavender.

Harry frowned at her, and she smirked at him. They had never been good friends, and Lavender knew Harry hadn't been supportive of her relationship with Ron back in their sixth year.

"Nevertheless Lavender, Harry has told me he wants to find the perfect woman, so I thought, with all your help, you can tell Harry where things went wrong with your relationships, so he can learn from them, and not make the same mistakes," said Hermione.

Silence followed. Everyone turned to Hermione, to see what they were supposed to do next.

She cleared her throat. "Right, well, Susan, you were Harry's first girlfriend after Hogwarts, maybe you can give us some insight. Would you care to share?"

Susan winked at Harry. "That's not the only 'first' I was, was I, Harry? Yep, I popped his cherry. Is that what you say for guys? Anyway, we were both in training with the Aurors; we'd been paired together for our martial arts training. We hit it off and started hanging around a bit. When he confessed to me one Aurors night out he'd never, well, done the deed, I took it upon myself to train Harry in other areas of his life, if you know what I mean?" she said with a wink to the other occupants at the table.

Padma glared at Susan, "Pity you never trained him on oral sex, then. I've never had to give so many directions, and I work in the Portkey department."

Harry blushed.

Susan glared at Padma. "His tongue wasn't the organ I was concerned with. Have you seen his pe-"

"Okay, okay! I think we get the point. Padma, despite the fellatio fiasco-"

At this Lavender and Parvati snickered. Harry groaned.

"-you were with Harry recently, how were his dates before the, er-"

"Fellatio fiasco!" cried Lavender, Parvati and Susan, giggling.

"Ssh, Merlin, will you keep it down," said Harry, mortified as people looked around.

"Well, before that it was really nice. We had coffee, we went out for dinner and a movie, although I didn't really want to see that particular movie, and it went for three hours. Three hours!" shrieked Padma, glaring at Harry.

Parvati and Lavender just shook their heads, "tsk, tsk."

"It was Lord of the Rings! I was dying to see it, I'd been telling you that during our dinner," said Harry in exasperation.

"All right, so we have a communication problem there, that's something you can work on, Harry. Cho, is there any thing you'd like to say? You dated Harry at Hogwarts, then again after Susan, didn't you?" asked Hermione.

Lavender made the sound of a whip. Harry glared at her again, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, I'd hardly call either of those times 'dating', more like one date each time. At Hogwarts, we had a visit to Hogsmeade. It was Valentine's Day. I'd been looking forward to it so much, I thought I was finally getting over poor Cedric. We started out really well, then everything went wrong." said Cho, sniffing.

'Here we go,' thought Harry, unsympathetically.

"Well, what happened?' asked Hermione.

"You happened! I finally got him to take me to Madame Puddifoot's, and he tells me we don't have long, that he has to go and meet you. He made another date, during his date with me! I was devastated," she said, looking for sympathy.

She met six pairs of eyes who knew Cho's habits by now, and were unimpressed. "Heartless bitches!" she said.

"Well, I'm sorry to have played a part in that, but I'm seeing a pattern here, lack of communication. If Harry had only told you he was meeting me because I had made an appointment for him, things may have ended differently. Please continue, Cho," said Hermione.

"Hermione, I don't think we need to hear anything more from Cho. We didn't really go out anywhere, no dates or anything," said Harry, giving Cho a funny look.

"No, we just went straight to bed," said Cho, calmly. Jaws dropped as all the women looked at Harry, who blushed even more.

"Hi Harry, Hermione, what's going on?"

Harry looked up and jumped out of the booth. "Ginny! Look, Ginny's here, isn't that great? Here, have my seat. Can I get you a coffee, something to eat? Please?" asked Harry, desperate to get away from the table.

"Sure, I'll have a sandwich and a juice, thanks Harry," said Ginny, sliding into the booth. She greeted the other women. "Ladies. Cho."

Harry smiled as he walked away. Ginny had never been friends with Cho, or even friendly when they'd been in the DA. He made a mental note to ask her why, later.

"So what's going on? This looks like a serious discussion," asked Ginny.

"We're telling Harry all his dating flaws, so when he meets the right woman, he won't stuff it up," said Lavender.

"You didn't tell Harry what you wanted on your sandwich, or what kind of juice. More communication issues, Hermione," said Padma, looking at Ginny.

Ginny shrugged. "Harry knows what I like. What do you mean by communication issues?" she asked, frowning.

"Cho was talking about Harry taking her to Hogsmeade and forgetting to tell her he was meeting me later. Then Padma said he took her to see a movie that was three hours long," said Hermione

"It was 'Lord of the Rings'! One of the biggest movies out. How did you not know it went for so long, it tells you on your ticket, and the times are showing where you purchase your tickets," said Ginny, glaring at Padma.

"Yes, well, I really didn't look, did I?" said Padma, huffily.

"As for your Hogsmeade date, I believe Harry was, what, fourteen, fifteen? With no experience with girls, with only Fred and George as examples of how to treat witches, oh and despite the fact that he had a DARK WIZARD AFTER HIM!" said Ginny, getting heated as she glared at Cho, who glared back.

"Okay, okay, let's just take a minute and remember we're here to help Harry," said Hermione, trying to keep things calm.

"Look, I really don't know what is wrong with you girls, well, except for you Cho. I know what went on between you and Harry. Look, Harry is a great guy, and he's a great room mate. He looked after me when I was sick that time with the flu. He took me out when my Valentine's date cancelled on me at the last minute-"

"He cancelled on me for that! I had tickets to the Weird Sisters concert," said Padme, crossing her arms defensively.

"Well, that's not the sort of music Harry likes, he's more into the Muggle music, classic rock, I think it's called. Although we did go to Glastonbury Festival earlier this year to hear some new Muggle bands. Merlin, we had a blast. It's a Muggle music festival, a weekend of camping out and listening to cool music," she explained.

The other girls didn't look too impressed.

"Look, he rubs my back and brings me chocolate when I've got my monthlies, he gets tickets to Harpies games for us, he adores his godson, he always kisses my Mum on the cheek and eats her treacle tart," said Ginny in a rush.

"Well that's no hardship Ginny, it's his favourite dessert," said Hermione. Ginny turned to her.

"It USED to be, until everyone started giving it to him. If we went to a magical restaurant, he'd never have to order it, they'd just bring it, and he is too polite to say no. His new favourite is Tiramisu, but he still eats my mum's treacle tart, only because she makes it just for him. The idea of hurting her feelings is unbearable to Harry," said Ginny.

She got out of the booth and stood up. "Look, there's nothing wrong with Harry, he's a sweet, loving young man, who wants to be in love. You should stop and think of what he's been through, and his upbringing. Padma, really? If you're into girls, you should have been up front with Harry about that. Susan, you don't know how much you hurt Harry. He gave you a precious gift, and you took it, then threw it back in his face when he caught you sleeping with other guys. And Cho, don't even get me started!" said Ginny, holding up her hand as Cho opened her mouth. "Shame on you, all of you!" she said.

"Hey, what did we do?" asked Lavender, pointing to her and Parvati.

"Since when should Harry's love life be open for discussion in a cafe, and be the source of your amusement, Lavender. I'm surprised at you too, Hermione," said Ginny.

"Hey, are you leaving?" asked Harry, returning with her food in a paper bag, and her drink.

Ginny nodded, too upset to talk. "Why are you here, anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, I just came to get my next assignment, I'm off to Egypt in a couple of days, I thought I'd stop by your office and let you know. Ron said you were here, but he didn't say with who."

"Oh, okay. Here, I got you a ham and cheese sandwich, pumpkin juice and a slice of carrot cake, I know it's your favourite."

"What's your favourite dessert, Harry?" asked Parvati, nudging Lavender.

"Well everyone thinks it's Treacle tart, but really, I'm sick of it. I only eat it when I go to the Burrow. Molly does make a delicious one. My new favourite is Tiramisu," said Harry.

Ginny raised her eyebrows defiantly as the women looked at her.

"Now, I also got you an apple, because you usually get hungry about three in the afternoon. I didn't know if you would be in the office or home, but don't worry about tea, I'm cooking your favourite tonight, in honour of your new assignment. So no snacking, got it!" he said, teasingly.

Ginny kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Harry, that sounds great. You're the best. Well, I'll see you at home. Hermione, I'll be in touch. Ladies. Cho." she nodded to them as she walked away.

All the ladies noticed Harry's eyes followed her. He turned back to them and saw them staring at him.

"What?" he asked, defensively.

"Is Ginny seeing anybody, Harry?" asked Lavender.

Hermione kicked her under the table.

"No, she's not. It's hard for her to be in a relationship, because she's away so much with her work," said Harry.

"I bet you miss her when she's gone," said Parvati, nudging Padme.

"Sure, she's my best friend. We do lots of things together when she's home. Look, I really think I need to get back to the office. If I'm going to cook tea for Ginny, I'll need to stop at the market on my way home. Oh, and get a bottle of wine. I hope they have her favourite. Do you think flowers would be nice? I mean, it's a big deal, getting another international assignment. Oh, what's the date, I might need to get some chocolate too," said Harry.

All the ladies at the table just stared at him. He blushed, aware he was rambling. "What? It helps her when, well, you know, it's, er, you know, time of the month."

Now they all stared at him in astonishment, which made him blush harder. "Okay, well, this was fun, er, good to see you all, ladies. Enjoy the rest of your day. Hermione, I will be in touch, you can guarantee that!" said Harry, with a glare at Hermione, and with a wave he was gone.

"Well, that was interesting," said Susan. "Why did you need to speak to us, when it's obvious he's in love with her?"

"What about her, did you hear her defend him?" asked Padma, chuckling.

"She did make some good points. Harry really is a great guy," said Hermione.

"Look, I don't like her, and she doesn't like me, I think we can all agree on that," said Cho, with a sneer.

Everyone nodded.

Cho's face softened. "Harry is a great guy, I think we can all agree on that, too. So, if it's Weasley he wants, and she's the one to make him happy, well, I hope it works out for them," said Cho.

"What happened with you and Harry, anyway?" asked Lavender. Cho sighed.

"Let's just say it involved leather, chains and a whip," said Cho.

" I didn't think Harry was into that?" asked Hermione, stunned.

"He's not, I am! Poor Harry had performance issues, and quickly left. Even now, he can barely look me in the eye," said Cho.

Every one at the table burst into laughter.

"So, any ideas how we can get them two together?" asked Hermione, hopefully.

Parvati asked. "Do they really not know how they feel about each other? They seemed so, coupley, don't you think?"

Hermione sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid they have no idea. Ron and I noticed it the other week. They really are-"

"CLUELESS!" shouted the girls, then they all giggled.


	4. Chapter 4

Ginny wiped her brow as she moved to the shade of her tent. Working on-site in Egypt was fascinating, and as she prepared her lunch, she pulled out a book on the Ancient Egyptians and their curses, hoping to find something to help her with her latest assignment.

She tried to concentrate, but her conversation with Hermione before she left kept coming back to her. Hermione had flooed over the night before she'd left, and as Harry and Ron were doing the night shift, they decided to have tea together. It was as they were eating that Ginny brought up the cafe incident.

"Why would you do that to Harry, Hermione? You put him in an embarrassing situation, you know."

"I know, and I have apologised to him, but I did it for him. He told me about how he wants to find the perfect woman, so I thought if he knew what he did wrong with the other girls, well, he'll know what not to do with the right one," explained Hermione.

"Yeah well, sounds to me as if a lot of the fault lies in the women Harry dates, not Harry. I told him to stop looking so hard for the perfect woman, and maybe it will just happen."

"Yes well, maybe the perfect woman is right under his nose, and he doesn't know it. Maybe she doesn't know it either," hinted Hermione, watching for Ginny's reaction.

Ginny screwed up her nose. "How can you not know if you love each other, that's crazy."

"Maybe they're confused about their feelings. Tell me Ginny, how do you feel when Harry brings someone home, on a date?"

Ginny shrugged. "I haven't really been around. The thing with Susan happened while I was at Hogwarts my seventh year, the thing with Cho was just one night, and that was at hers. He was just going on his first date with Padma when I was leaving for Egypt, so I really don't know."

"How do you think you'd feel if he brought a girl home, told you she may be 'the one'?" asked Hermione.

Ginny stared at Hermione. "Do you know something, has Harry told you he's met someone?"

Hermione shook her head.

Ginny sighed. "I don't know, I admit I was worried when he was seeing that Muggle, it lasted longer than I thought it would. From what he told me, she didn't sound like the type to be happy with the whole, 'I'm a wizard' thing. It worried me, because I thought Harry might go to the Muggle world."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I worried about that, too. I want Harry to be happy, find someone, build a future with someone. I have to admit, I've never seen him as happy as he has been lately."

"Oh, God, he's met someone hasn't he? He has been happy lately, every time we've been together, we've had a great time, it's because he's in love, isn't it?" asked Ginny, flushing.

Hermione smiled in relief. "Yes, I think he is."

"He hasn't said anything to me, is he afraid I won't like her? Why won't he bring her home to meet me?"

"No, Ginny, you've got it wrong-"

"Maybe she's upset that he lives with a girl, is that it? Maybe he's embarrassed by me, maybe she's a real girly girl, and I'm not, so he thinks we won't have anything in common," said Ginny, anxiously.

"Ginny, I really think you need to calm down and-"

"I thought we were best friends, that we could tell each other everything. This is huge, this is, is - this is what he wants," says Ginny, in sudden realisation.

"Ginny, stop! Harry hasn't met anyone new, how can he, when he spends all of his free time with you?" said Hermione.

Ginny thought for a minute. "You're right, we have been spending a lot of time together lately. We've just been having so much fun, even when it's just watching a movie and stuff. How is he going to meet anyone new if he's hanging around with me? I'm so selfish."

"No, Ginny, that's not what I meant, I just-"

"Hermione, I'm sorry, I really don't feel hungry any more, I think I might finish packing and have an early night, do you mind?" asked Ginny.

"Ginny, I really think you need to-"

"Please Hermione, I'm really tired, can we talk about this another time?" asked Ginny.

Hermione sighed. "Okay, but we will talk more about this when you get back from Egypt, all right?"

Ginny nodded and hugged her goodbye. "Say good bye to Ron for me, I should be back in a week or two."

"Take care Ginny, and we'll see you when you get back. Don't worry about Harry, we'll look after him while you're gone," said Hermione, smiling.

Ginny frowned now as she ate her lunch and thought about it over and over. She had the feeling she was missing something, but she didn't know what. She decided to talk about it with Harry when she returned home.

There was a knock on her tent door. "Come in," she called.

She was pleasantly surprised to see her brother, and boss, Bill. She hugged him, and the siblings sat down. Bill brought her up to date on the family, happily announcing that Fleur was pregnant again.

"Bill, that's wonderful news, congratulations! How's Fleur feeling? Is Victoire excited at being a big sister?" she asked.

Bill smiled. "Fleur has got morning sickness pretty bad, all day really, just like when she was expecting Vic. Yes, Vic's thrilled, she pulled all her toys together, and made a small pile of ones she's going to give to the baby," he chuckled.

"Ooh, sounds like another Weasley witch is on the way. Another one for me to spill all my secrets to, to corrupt, as only another Weasley witch can," said Ginny, rubbing her hands together.

Bill nodded. "Vic adores her Aunt Ginny, you know that."

"Which just shows she's a witch with very good taste, even for a toddler," smirked Ginny.

Bill threw his head back and laughed. "Now, tell me what's going on here. I have read your reports, and I'm pretty impressed with what you've found here, Gin."

"It's been great Bill, the tomb of Khufu has some amazing curses on it. I really need to get into the Egyptian Museum at Cairo to check something out on the figurine of him there. They say it was found headless, which they put down to a digging accident, but I have reason to believe it was something else."

She went on to explain her theories, and the curses they had broken in the tomb they were searching. Some treasure had been found, but Ginny's instincts told her there was more.

Bill listened, offering some words of guidance and wisdom, but nonetheless, impressed with her work.

"You know Gin, I never doubted you'd make a good apprentice, which is why I took you on, but I've got to say, you've really impressed me and the bosses at Gringott's. They asked me to pass that on to you, and believe me, that is a big deal," said Bill, proudly.

Ginny smiled. "Thanks Bill, it really means a lot. I've really enjoyed working in Egypt, I can see why you stayed for so long."

"You know, a permanent posting in Egypt is a possibility for you. There's always work here, always a tomb to explore or treasure to find," suggested Bill.

Ginny nodded slowly.

Bill continued. "Or Paris, you can be posted permanently to Paris, instead of England. You'll get a lot more international work if you're based in Paris, and I know you've loved the travel side of the job."

Ginny nodded. She loved to travel and meet new people and explore new cultures.

"Normally we'd wait till the end of your third year to offer you these positions, but I was told I could tell you that your name has been mentioned frequently lately. There's been some vacancies come up, in both our Paris and Egypt branches, and they're anxious to fill them. Gin, you can basically take your pick. Congratulations," said Bill.

Ginny's head was swimming. Paris was the centre for the international scene, she could go all over the world if she accepted that position. She had loved working in Egypt though, and there was plenty of work available. Could she really leave England, though? Her family, her friends, Harry?

An image of Harry popped in to her head. In her mind, he was happy and carefree, like when he was with Teddy. Her heart ached. He'd become her best friend when Ron and Hermione had gotten closer in their sixth year, her fifth. He'd become her confidant, and she his, as he spoke of his uncertainty that he could fulfil the prophecy. His shoulders carried a burden with a load that was too much to bear for one person, and if he could unload some of that on to her, then she was glad. Their nightmares drew them to the common room late at night, where they'd talk about everything from the possibility of what the twins would do to Percy if he ever returned to the family to whether Dean Thomas would ever realise she was a functioning person who could open a bloody door herself.

Ginny shook her head, as she heard Bill speaking to her. "Gin, Gin, hey, where did you go? You zoned out on me for a bit there. You don't have to give me an answer today, you know. Just think about it. You'll get a formal offer in the post, probably sometime in the next month. They'll probably give you a month to decide, and if you agree to go, well, you'd probably want to go and get set up in the New Year, I know you'd want to spend Christmas with the family. You'd need to find somewhere to live and all that.

Ginny thought of the little flat she and Harry shared. When Ron had lived there, it was very much a bloke's flat, couch, television, table, fridge and beds. When Ginny moved in she'd added little touches, like lamps and art. She encouraged Harry to hang photos of his parents, Sirius and Remus around. Together they got little Teddy to dip his hands and feet in paint, and pressed them onto some parchment, a keepsake for Andromeda for her birthday, but Ginny had insisted on one for Harry, too. It was now stuck on their fridge. Their flat was now their little home. Ginny couldn't imagine living any where else.

Ginny smiled weakly at Bill. "Wow, that's such a great opportunity, thanks for letting me know. I-I just don't think I can live that far away from the family, you know. At least when I'm based in England, I'm away for a week or a month, then I come home and see my friends and family. I love my little flat, too."

"You love the flat? Or is it Harry?" asked Bill.

He knew his sister. He had been the shoulder she had cried on after the whole Chamber of Secrets thing. She'd confessed her shame at her weakness, especially in front of Harry, and that had led to the end of her crush on the Boy who Lived. Of course, Bill had also seen the two grow closer as the years went on, and he'd often pondered on why they had never got together. From what he could see, they made a great couple; looking out for each other, and had the same sense of humour. Ginny often pulled Harry out of his dark 'funks', and Harry treated Ginny with the care and respect Bill knew she deserved. Yes, Bill was on board with the whole 'Harry and Ginny' thing.

"Harry? What's he got to do with it?" asked Ginny.

Bill shook his head and stood up.

"I think Harry's got everything to do with your decision. Anyway, I have to go, I'm Portkeying home tomorrow. I'll see you before I leave, okay? Just think about things, Gin. It's a great opportunity, but listen to your heart, it will tell you the right thing to do."

Ginny looked confused as Bill left. He shook his head and chuckled. "Hermione's right, she is totally and absolutely clueless!"


	5. Chapter 5

Harry awoke eagerly on a Saturday morning in late November. He looked out the window and was pleased to see the sun was trying to break through. He didn't want any rain today; he and Ginny had made plans to take two year old Teddy to the zoo and, weather permitting, a picnic in the park. Then Harry and Ginny had plans for a movie marathon at home with take out.

However, when they went to pick up Teddy later, they found Andromeda quite ill, so they offered to take Teddy for the whole weekend. Ginny fire-called Molly who said she'd pop round to see if she could help Andromeda. They gathered up all they thought they'd need for Teddy, and finally they left.

It seemed to Harry that nearly every family in England had the same idea; to make the most of the last fine days before the harsh winter set in. The zoo was packed, but as Harry and Ginny were in no hurry, they didn't let it bother them. With a little hat on to keep warm, it wasn't a bother if Teddy's hair changed colour, as he was prone to do when he was angry or overly excited.

No matter how many times Harry had come to the zoo with either Ginny and Teddy, or Ginny alone, she always seemed amazed at the animals. She laughed just as much as Teddy at the antics of the monkeys and marvelled at the powerful, majestic lions. Teddy made loud roaring noises, and Ginny laughed and clapped. Teddy looked very proud of himself. Harry smiled, happy to be sharing this moment with the two people he cared so much about.

Finally they left, and, as the sun was now shining through the grey clouds, they had their picnic. Sandwiches and fruit, cake and biscuits were gobbled down, as they had worked up an appetite walking so much. Ginny gave Teddy a bag of breadcrumbs, and she and Teddy went to feed the ducks in a nearby pond. When that was done, he and Harry grabbed the ball Ginny had brought along, and he and Teddy kicked the ball to each other, as Ginny lay contentedly in the sun, watching and taking photos.

Teddy soon tired, and came and crawled into Ginny's lap. Harry came over and he too lay down, his head resting on Ginny's legs. Teddy giggled as Harry pretended to fall asleep and snore. When Ginny whispered in Teddy's ear, he giggled again, as he and Ginny yelled, "Wake up Harry!" from his favourite Muggle tv show, 'The Wiggles'. Then they proceeded to tickle him. He soon fell asleep in Harry's arms after that.

Ginny gathered up all the picnic things, and put the basket in the stroller they had brought with them. Teddy didn't like to use it much any more, claiming he was a big boy now, but it had come in handy with all the walking at the zoo. Now, Ginny placed the basket in it, and Harry kept a hold of a sleeping Teddy. They decided to catch the Muggle bus home, and walk from the bus stop. They needed to stop at the market and pick up a few necessities for their night as well.

Once home, Teddy lay on Harry's bed and he slept for another couple of hours. Harry had transfigured the sides of his bed to come up and form a barrier, in case Teddy rolled too close to the edge. He was so tired, little Teddy barely moved.

Ginny flooed over to check on Andromeda, and see if she needed anything. Molly was just preparing to leave, saying Andromeda was asleep. Molly had given her a potion and she should be better tomorrow. Molly told Ginny she would pop back later that evening to check on Andromeda, and she would tell her all about Teddy's fun day.

When Ginny got back, Teddy was awake. He watched television with Harry for awhile, telling Harry about his favourite character, 'Wags the Dog'. Ginny did a little bit of tidying in her room, and cleaned the bathroom.

When Ginny came out to the lounge, saying she had finished her chores, she offered to take Teddy over to Bill and Fleur's, so Teddy could have a play with Victoire. Harry agreed, and while they were gone, he tidied his room, and sorted out his laundry. He cleaned the kitchen and straightened out the lounge room.

Ginny flooed home with a grizzly Teddy about five. Harry bathed him, and put him in his pyjamas. Ginny prepared some mashed vegetables and some meat. Teddy played with his food, not eating much. He still seemed out of sorts, so Ginny took his temperature.

"Hmm, it's up a bit, but not too bad. Let's see how he goes, and I'll check him in a while," said Ginny. She had changed into her pyjamas too, despite it only being six thirty at night.

Surprisingly, Teddy fell asleep straight after tea. Again, Harry lay him in his bed, and went out to watch a movie with Ginny.

"I'm too pooped to cook anything else for tea, especially as my last effort ended up mostly on the floor," said Ginny, stifling a yawn. "Take-out?" she asked. Harry nodded, and they ordered a pizza.

Soon, they were sitting close on the couch, devouring a pizza. They were enthralled in the movie, and Harry paid close attention, as he knew Ginny liked to dissect the movie after. Harry loved their verbal sparring, as they always had a different view of things, and they each surprised the other with their thoughts on certain things in the movies they watched. Tonight was no exception. They tore 'Pulp Fiction' apart, but both agreed it was a keeper to their growing dvd library.

Ginny had put the kettle on for a cup of tea when she heard Teddy let out a cry. Harry was dozing on the couch, stuffed full of pizza, and the snacks they'd eaten during the movie. She went into check on Teddy, her heart breaking as she saw him crying, as if he were in pain. She quickly changed his nappy, and re-dressed him. His cries were getting louder, and Harry stumbled in.

"Hey, what's going on? Is he all right?" asked Harry as Ginny rocked him. She shook her head.

At the sight of Harry, Teddy pitifully reached out his arms to Harry. Ginny passed him over, and Teddy snuggled his head under Harry's neck. Ginny's heart lurched. '_Was there nothing more sexier _t_han a man holding a baby like that?_' she wondered, then shook her head. Harry looked concerned at her.

"Er, can you hold him and I'll take his temperature," said Ginny, blushing.

Where had thought come from? She'd seen Harry and Teddy together heaps of times before, and it had never affected her like this before. She rushed off to get the thermometer.

"Oh no, it's gone up while he's been asleep. Did we pack any children's potions while we were at Andromeda's?" asked Ginny.

"No, I think we were too focused on his clothes and toys, and worried about Andi. What shall we do, Gin?" asked Harry, worriedly.

"You stay here with him, and I'll floo to the Burrow and ask Mum, she'll know what to do. Bye, sweety, I'll be as quick as I can, Uncle Harry will look after you," said Ginny, giving Teddy a kiss on his cheek.

He looked so trustingly at her, that Ginny had tears in her eyes.

"I hate hearing him cry, knowing he might be in pain. I'll be as quick as I can, Harry," she promised, giving him a quick hug. He kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Go, Gin, we'll be here when you get back," said Harry, rocking Teddy to and fro. He was now whimpering softly, and his eyes were drooping as he fought off sleep.

The night seemed never ending for Harry and Ginny. Ginny had flooed home for some pain potion, and Molly had to brew it to be suitable for Teddy's age and size. It seemed to take forever, yet in reality was only twenty minutes. With a quick thanks, Ginny grabbed the bottle out of her mum's hands as soon as she put the cap on, and flooed home.

"Welcome to motherhood, Ginny!" chuckled Molly.

Ginny had flooed home, and they'd given a dose to Teddy. He didn't want to be put down, so Harry and Ginny took turns holding him and walking him until he fell asleep. Unfortunately, he only slept for about an hour before he would wake up again.

It was close to two in the morning when Harry awoke on the lounge. He had changed into his pyjamas as well, just wearing the bottoms, and just an hour before he had handed Teddy over to Ginny. He listened but there was no sound in their little flat.

He went into his bedroom and stopped. Standing next to his bed, swaying as she cuddled Teddy to her chest, and singing a lullaby, Ginny looked amazing. The glow of a candle on Harry's bedside table made her hair glow, it was a gorgeous cloud of fire surrounding her tired pale face. She looked down at Teddy with so much love, it made Harry's heart jump.

All of a sudden he had a vision of the future, of Ginny comforting their baby, while another child looked on. Harry felt he had stopped breathing, he wanted that to be true so much, it hurt. His family looked up at him, and beckoned him over. "Come on Daddy, come here, Daddy", they said. Harry wanted to go to them, to be a part of them. He realised he wanted-

"Hey," said Ginny, smiling tiredly. "I just got another dose into him, and I think it's done the trick. He's been like this for a while now, poor little love, he's so tired. Shall we try and lay him on the bed?" she asked softly.

Harry nodded, the vision still vivid in his mind. They lay Teddy gently on the bed, with Harry laying behind him. However, he still clung to Ginny, so she shrugged and lay down on the other side of Teddy.

Together they lay and watched Teddy settle. Harry watched Ginny, who was anxiously watching Teddy. When he finally started snoring, Ginny raised her eyes to look happily at Harry. She held up her hand and they did a quiet high five, yet Harry held her hand and intermingled their fingers, refusing to let go. Their hands stayed together, as they came down, resting gently on little Teddy.

"Thank you," whispered Harry, unable to take his eyes off her. He always knew she was pretty, but now she was gorgeous. He always knew she would always put her family first, but now, he wanted to come first with her. He knew she had boyfriends, admirers. '_Well, bugger them all to hell',_ he thought._ 'None of them are good enough for her. None of them know her like I do, none of them are_ _worthy of her, none of them are...me'._

Ginny smiled sleepily and sexily at him. "Go to sleep," she whispered back.

He watched her as she fell asleep, and finally he succumbed, returning to the place where his dream family awaited. "Come on Daddy, come and play, we've been waiting for you, Daddy."

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Next day they were relieved to see Teddy had returned to normal. Molly had fire- called to say Andromeda was better too, and anxious to see Teddy, so with relief, Harry returned Teddy to his home, with the promise of another sleep over soon.

Harry returned home, and decided to do a load of laundry. He yawned, amazed at how worn out he felt. Ginny had gone for a run, and he wished he had said yes when she had asked if he wanted to go too. He felt so tired that he'd said no, but now he thought a run might have woken him up more. He heard the laundry finish, and he got up to get it out and into the dryer.

"Mate, you look like hell," chuckled Ron from the door. Being so tired, Harry hadn't even heard him come through the floo.

'So much for constant vigilance', he thought. "Yeah well, when you and Hermione have kids, and been through what Gin and I did last night, we'll gladly come over and tell you the same, thanks, mate!"

"Yeah I heard about poor little Teddy. He's better this morning?" asked Ron.

Harry nodded, pulling clothes out and into a basket. "He's better, Andi's better, Gin and I are wrecks. She's gone for a run, to try and wake herself up, she said. Me, I'm just hanging around here today," said Harry, yawning.

"So, you and Ginny did a great job looking after him," said Ron.

Harry yawned again. "Yeah, it was just so scary, we'd had a great day out then later that night he was crying and in pain, and we didn't know how to help him. Gin was great, I couldn't have handled it without her," said Harry.

"You know Harry, you and Gin make a great team, don't you think?" asked Ron.

Harry pulled the last of the washing out, and held it, it was soft and silky. "Yeah, we do make a great team. Poor Teddy went from one of us to the other, till he finally fell asleep. We'd had so much fun earlier too, we went to the zoo and had a picnic, Gin brought breadcrumbs for Teddy to give to the ducks, and she brought a ball for me and Teddy to kick. I never thought of any of that stuff. She's pretty amazing, your sister." 

"Is that why your fondling her bra so much?" laughed Ron, nodding down.

Harry glanced down, and saw Ginny's bra in his hand. It was pale pink, a colour Ginny swore she never wore.

"Is there something going on between you and my sister, Potter?" demanded Ron.

Harry opened his mouth to deny it, but an image of his dream family popped into his mind. He decided to see how this would play out.

"And if there was?" he answered bravely

"I'd say it's about bloody time, although I really wish you'd stop doing that with her bra," said Ron, amused.

Harry wasn't aware he was stroking her bra. He looked up as Ron's words sunk in.

"Really? You wouldn't mind if-"

"Just give me the damn bra," growled Ron, lunging for it.

"I don't think so," laughed Harry, holding it away from Ron.

"Come on, give it to me," said Ron, getting a hold of it.

"Go and get one of Hermione's, if you want one that bad, this one's mine," teased Harry.

"What the bloody hell is going on here, and why are you fighting over my bra?" asked Ginny, suddenly.

Harry and Ron froze, the bra stretched out between them. Suddenly, they both dropped it.

"It's all stretched out, you totally ruined it! That was my favourite one, too. Well, you boys now owe me a new bra," said Ginny, snatching it up and leaving the laundry.

"Well, looks like you're taking Ginny shopping for bras, Harry. She might need help, you know, doing them up. Or she might ask which colour you like best. She might even model them for you, see which one you like the most," teased Ron, laughing.

"Er, you do realise you're talking about your sister, don't you? You're actually encouraging me to see your sister in a bra! Are you sure you're Ron Weasley, over protective brother from Hell?"

"Oh, get a clue, Harry!" said Ron, laughing as he left.


	6. Chapter 6

Ginny sighed as she left Bill's office at Gringott's. The promotion had been posted and received, and she had gone to talk to Bill about it. While she knew it was a great opportunity, she really couldn't imagine living so far away from her family. Then she chided herself. Both her elder brothers had moved away from the family, and it hadn't affected their close bond. She decided to talk to Harry about it.

She met Harry for tea, and they decided to do some Christmas shopping in Muggle London. Harry liked to give Muggle toys to Victoire and Teddy, as well as magical ones. He liked to pick up Muggle items for Arthur and Hermione, too. Ginny picked up some nice silky nightwear for her sisters-in-law, and added a bra to the top of the pile; shooting Harry a wry look. He kept apologising for Ron and he ruining her favourite bra. He insisted on paying for it, then blushed when the sales lady tried to get him to buy the matching panties for his girlfriend. Ginny laughed at his dilemma, and sidled up to him.

"Oh honey pie, would you buy them for little 'ole me! You'll be in for such a treat tonight if you do," she winked at him.

The sales lady laughed. Harry just nodded dumbly when she asked if he wanted to add them to the bra. He was already imagining Ginny in them.

Ginny was waiting outside the store while he finalised his purchase. He thrust the bag at her as he left the store.

"Here, it's for you anyway."

"Oh Snookums, did you buy me a sexy little present. You are the best boyfriend, ever!" she said in a loud voice.

Harry noticed people looking at them, and smiling, so he decided to play along.

"Yes, Pooky, all for you, although you won't be wearing them long. Now let's finish our shopping so we can go home and see how they look."

With that, he smacked her on the butt. Ginny jumped, and glared at him. Harry started laughing, and Ginny soon joined in. Arm in arm, they wandered off to do more shopping. Two hours later, they staggered home, each carrying plenty of bags, but with their shopping all completed. They collapsed on the couch.

"Let's leave them here and we'll go through them in the morning," groaned Harry.

"Good idea, and we can wrap them as we go," said Ginny. "Harry, can I ask your advice on something?"

"Sure Gin, what's up?" he asked, sitting up to face her.

Ginny explained about the job offer, and how excited she was by it, and what a great opportunity it was.

"Gin, that's great, congratulations!" gushed Harry, proudly.

He knew how much she loved her job, but his heart sank at the thought of her moving away. As if sensing what he was thinking, Ginny went on.

"How can I leave my family, and my friends? Fleur is going to have another baby, Ron and Hermione will be getting engaged any day now, Mum and Dad aren't getting any younger, oh how can I even think of leaving?" she cried.

"I'd miss you Gin," said Harry, softly. So softly Ginny didn't hear him as she continued.

"Little Teddy is growing so much, I want to be around to see that. I'd miss you Harry, and I'd miss our little flat. We've made it into a real home now, haven't we?" she asked, looking around.

Harry nodded.

"Although, if I go, it would mean you could get a new flat mate, and you'd probably date more, because we've been hanging out so much lately. Hermione sort of intimated there might be somebody, but you've never mentioned any one. With me gone, you could bring girls here all the time."

"It sounds like you've made up your mind to go," said Harry, miserably. He stood up. "I'm beat, think I'll go to bed. Night, Gin," he said.

She held out her hand for him to pull her up, and he did. She didn't let go, but enveloped him in a hug.

"If I left, will you come and visit me? I mean, if your girlfriend doesn't mind? Hey, you could bring her! I'd need to check her out anyway; best friend's opinion and all that. You'd score brownie points with her, especially if I choose Paris. What girl doesn't like Paris?" she asked, teasingly.

Harry smiled weakly and pulled away, shuffling off to his bedroom. He got into bed and lay there, happy for Ginny's opportunity, heartbroken to lose his flat mate, his best friend, his -

"Hell!" he sat up in bed quickly. "I'm in love with her. I am bloody well in love with her. Well, that's just great! She's leaving, and I'm in love with her. Great timing, Potter," he said, cursing himself.

There was a knock at the door. Harry sat up. What if she had just had an epiphany like he just had?

"Come in," he said, hopefully.

"Are you all right, I thought I heard you talking to someone?"

Harry shook his head.

"Oh well, I just wanted to check if we were still going to the gym tomorrow. After all we ate tonight, I could do with a good workout," she laughed.

"Sure, why not," said Harry, laying back down, hands behind his head.

Ginny left, and Harry pondered over his recent discovery. How could he not see what was right in front of him? How much time had he wasted, dating girls, no, women, when the perfect woman was right there, under his roof, all this time? He knew, he just knew she was the right one. Everything felt right, everything made sense to him. Harry and Ginny together was how it was meant to be.

Wait a minute! Why didn't Ginny have the same realisation? Why wasn't she in bed with him right now? Why was she planning to leave her country, her family, him? Maybe she didn't feel the same way about him? The thought made Harry sick, and he tossed and turned all night.

Ginny obviously had no trouble sleeping, as she seemed perky on the way to the gym. They were using the one at the Ministry, where the Aurors trained. As Ginny used to be a trainee Auror, she had got the all clear to use it as a visitor with Harry.

Some of the men and women working out remembered Ginny, or knew her from her visits to Ron and Harry, and they greeted her warmly. Harry left her chatting; content just to watch her. He hadn't talked much, too afraid he'd spill his secret to her. She talked enough for both of them, bouncing along, talking about Teddy, about Christmas, whether Ron would propose soon, and making plans to catch up with Luna and Neville soon after Christmas.

Ginny was working out when Rob, a fellow Auror who worked a lot with Harry, came up to Ginny. Harry tensed as he saw Rob flirting with her, and Ginny giggling as he flexed his muscles. They were discussing running techniques, and Ginny pointed out a muscle on her calf that Harry knew she constantly got pain in.

He gritted his teeth as he saw Rob run his hands over her leg, and saw Ginny shiver. Rob massaged it, and Ginny closed her eyes. In ecstasy? Relief? Harry didn't know what to think. He saw two more guys come up to talk with Ginny and Rob, and he wanted to just go up and drag her away; bring her back to his side, or better yet, plant a big one on her right in front of Rob and the others.

Harry grabbed his towel and wiped his face. Ginny and the three men had been joined by another woman, and the five were animatedly talking. Harry nodded as two other off duty Aurors came close, and they got on the treadmill. Harry paid them no attention until he heard the Weasley name mentioned.

"Is that Weasley's sister? Man, she's hot! Didn't she used to be an Auror, or something?"

"I think she did the first year training, then left to become a curse breaker."

"Pity, I wouldn't mind her being my partner," chuckled one. Harry thought his name was Ben.

Harry wasn't aware he was growling until he felt a hand on his arm.

"Harry, are you okay? You've got a strange look on your face?" asked Ginny.

Before Harry could reply, one of the Aurors Ginny had been talking to came over to them.

"Hey Gin, just wondering if you're free tonight, would you like to go to the movies? I heard you like to go to the Muggle cinema, and there's this movie playing, it goes for three hours, mind you. It's 'Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers'."

"Oh, Mark, thank you, I'd love to go , but Harry and I had planned to see it together," said Ginny, with a quick look at Harry.

Harry shrugged. "You can go if you want. I already saw it, remember, with Padma."

Ginny looked at him in surprise at his tone, and Harry looked away, ashamed of how he was feeling. He felt like he wanted to hurt her. Couldn't she see that he was here, right here, waiting?

"Oh well, in that case, I guess that would be fine. Thanks, Mark," said Ginny.

"How about we grab some dinner first? Why don't I come and pick you up, and we'll go to a little place I know near the cinema," suggested Mark, a Muggleborn.

"Um, why don't I meet you at the cinema, and we'll go from there?" said Ginny, shooting a look at Harry.

"Okay, great," said Mark, happily, but looking between Harry and Ginny.

They finalised their plans as to when and where they would meet, then, with another look between the two, he said goodbye and left.

"I think I'm done," said Harry, grabbing his water bottle and towel.

"Harry wait, please. Is everything okay? You've been out of sorts all day. Have I done something wrong, are you mad at me, or something?" she asked in concern.

Harry took a deep breath, wanting to pull her into his arms. He felt bad. She couldn't help it if she didn't feel the same way as him.

"No, no, look, I'm sorry, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, that's all. I'm going to have a shower, did you wanna grab some lunch, or just head home?" he asked.

Before she could reply, Ron stuck his head in. "Hey Harry, Mark told me you were here. Hey, Gin. Look, do you think you could take a look at something, I know you're not on today, it shouldn't take long? Sorry, Gin, he'll be all yours soon."

Ginny smiled sadly. "No, it's fine. I think I'll see you home, Harry. Bye Ron," she said, turning to go to the locker room.

Harry watched her go, until Ron coughed to get his attention.

"Everything all right?" he asked, with a quick nod to Ginny. Harry shrugged.

"Give me ten minutes to have a shower, and I'll be right with you," he said.

An hour later, he Apparated home and let himself into their flat. After telling Ron that Ginny was going out with Mark, and that Harry told her to go, Ron had given him an earful. It really made Harry stop and think, and he realised he needed to tell Ginny how he felt.

"Gin, you home?" he called.

There was no answer. Her bedroom door was open, and he saw the outfit he presumed she was going to wear tonight, sitting on her bed. He gulped when he saw her new pink bra and panties were laying next to her dress.

He went in to the kitchen, and saw a note from her, telling him she was going to visit Hermione, and then go to the beauty parlour. He crushed up the note and threw it, cursing himself. He decided to floo over and see Teddy; it always made him feel better.

He stayed longer than he intended, and after stopping to pick up take out for tea for himself, he arrived home to find Ginny about to head out. She looked gorgeous. He was pleased to see she had changed her mind about the dress, but still looked good in casual pants and a nice jumper, with a jacket thrown over her arm. He watched her rush around, throwing things in a purse. Harry felt a sense of dread, and as she passed him sitting on the couch, she ruffled his hair.

"Have a good night, Harry," she said, preparing to leave.

"Ginny, wait," blurted out Harry, standing up suddenly.

Ginny paused and turned back to him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Don't go. Please, don't go out with him," said Harry, desperately.

"Why, is there something wrong with him. Do you know something?" she asked him.

Harry shook his head.

"Harry, I have to go, I'll be late," said Ginny, putting her jacket on.

Harry grabbed the lapel of her jacket. "Please Gin, I-I don't want you to see the movie with him, I want us to see it together like we planned. Stay home with me. Please Gin, just don't go with him, okay?" begged Harry.

"Harry, I don't understand. I said we planned to see the movie together, but you practically pushed me onto him, now you don't want me to go. Please, tell me what's going on?" she asked.

"I don't want you to go, all right. I don't want you to go out tonight, or any other night, and I don't want you to go to Paris or Egypt, all right!" yelled Harry.

"No, it's not bloody all right, tell me why. Tell me right now, or I'm leaving. Well?" she asked.

Harry opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Ginny sighed, and with a last glance at Harry, she left.

Harry flopped onto the couch, exhausted. He took a few bites of his take out, then put it in the fridge, he now had no appetite. He heard someone call his name, and he rushed to the fireplace.

"Oh, hi Hermione," he said glumly.

"Nice to see you too, Harry. I was just wondering if Ginny ended up going tonight, that's all? She popped over earlier, quite conflicted as to whether she should go out with this Mark guy or not. Ron said he's an okay guy, but-"

"No, she bloody well shouldn't have gone but she did. Mark's an idiot, he doesn't deserve someone like Ginny, she's too good for him," he said sulkily.

"It's just dinner and a movie, Harry," said Hermione, chuckling. "Oh, wait, that's your date number two, isn't it? Wow, this guy is good. Is he as cute as Ginny said? Is she planning on coming home tonight?"

Harry looked at Hermione in horror. "Ginny told you he was cute? What do you mean, is she coming home tonight, where else would she, oh, no way, she's not going to spend the night with him, no way? I'll go down and wait outside the cinema before I let that happen!" exclaimed Harry, passionately.

"Harry, Ginny's a big girl now. Besides, if she goes to Paris or Egypt, you won't be able to control who she goes home with," reminded Hermione.

"Hermione, I've got to go, I've got to, hell, I don't even know. I've gotta go. Bye," he said, cutting the call off.

"Harry, wait-" called Hermione, but Harry was gone.

He went into his bedroom and grabbed a jacket. He shrugged it on and went back into the lounge in time to see Ginny stumble out the floo.

"Ginny!" he cried, reaching out to help her. She shrugged his help off.

"You've got a bloody nerve, Potter," said Ginny.

"What? What did I do?" he asked, confused.

"First you said I should go with him, then you ask me not to, but don't give me a good reason. All through dinner, I've been going over your words. I don't understand, Harry. Why would you do that?" asked Ginny, getting worked up.

Harry didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to tell her when she was angry. He didn't fancy wearing Bat Bogeys for the rest of the night.

"Tell me," she demanded. "Tell me why you would ask me not to go out tonight?" she said, striding angrily at him.

Harry backed up. "I-er, Ginny, I really-" He ran into the wall, and had nowhere else to go.

"Tell me," she demanded.

Harry grabbed her and kissed her. Hard. They broke apart, breathing hard. He looked at her lips, he really wanted to do that again. So he did. He put his hand around the nape of her neck, and pulled her close. He saw his reflection in her eyes, then he was kissing her, softer this time.

She put her hands on his waist, and he groaned into his mouth. He changed the angle, and swore he died and gone to heaven. His tongue reached for hers, and it was her turn to moan when they connected. It was a sound that went straight to Harry's groin.

He pulled her close, so she could feel what she was doing to him. His lips trailed down, from her mouth, down the side of her neck, until he could feel her pulse points throbbing in her neck.

"Gin, Merlin, I need you. Please, Gin," said Harry.

Ginny was rubbing against him, breathing hard. "Harry, please," she groaned, shrugging her jacket off.

Harry ripped his jacket off too, and pulled his jumper and tee shirt off in one go. Ginny pulled her jumper off, and Harry got to see the bra he'd bought for her. He palmed her breasts.

"So beautiful," he murmured, running his hands over and over. "I want to see more, Gin."

She reached out to undo his jeans. She slowly undid the zipper. Before she could get them off, or get a hand inside, Harry took her hand and led her into his bedroom.

He let her go to pull his jeans off, and he sat on the side of his bed. He pulled her close. She put her hands on his shoulders, occasionally running her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes at her touch. He leaned his head against her chest and inhaled. The scent was flowery, sexy as hell, so very Ginny. He nuzzled her chest, and reached around to unclasp her bra.

The first thing he noticed was the freckles all over her body. Pale and pink, he promised himself he was going to kiss every single one, and when he was done, start all over again. His hands reached up to cup her, and she placed her hands over his, kneading, teasing.

"I love the way you touch me," she said huskily. Her eyes bore into his as he ran his hands down to her butt. He grasped her, bringing her close; the friction making him close his eyes in pleasure.

Ginny backed away and knelt down, never taking her gaze off him. He lifted his hips automatically as she slid his boxers down, over his bulge, past his knees and finally off, taking his shoes off too. She pulled his socks off, her fingers rubbing his toes. Her fingers then slid back up his legs, getting so close, closer and closer to...

Harry groaned as Ginny first touched him. As she stroked him, he knew if she continued he wouldn't last. He put his hand over hers, and stopped her.

"Not yet," he whispered.

Ginny smiled and stood up. She lowered her jeans and panties, and stepped out of them. She held out her hand and cupped his cheek. He took her hand and kissed her palm, before gently pulling her into bed.

Their first time didn't last long. They were both so eager, needing to be as close to each other as possible. As Harry entered her, he felt fulfilled in a way he had never done before. As they moved together, Harry truly felt like all roads had led him to this moment.

They took several moments to gain their breath. Their second time was more leisurely, each exploring the other's body. Harry had never felt the intimacy with anyone else the way he was doing now. He was sharing more than his body with her. Her pleasure was utmost in his mind, and seeing her peak was the most arousing thing Harry had ever seen.

Ginny delighted in discovering Harry's body and what drove him crazy. His groans and moans turned her on. She loved the feel of him, the scent of him. She loved to feel his hands run through her hair as she was feasting on him. Before he peaked, he sat up and dragged her up his body, to straddle his.

Their bodies joined and they both sighed in relief. Ginny started to move. Harry pushed her hair off her face, his hands palming her face. He brought her lips to his, and as Ginny thrust down, he pushed himself into her. Ginny used her hands on his shoulders to push up. They soon got into sync, and all too soon, their delicious friction erupted.

They stayed huddled together, bodies still joined, as their breathing returned to normal. Harry didn't want this moment to end. Holding her, he gently lowered her to the bed; reluctantly pulling himself from her body, only to gather her close in his arms after. She cuddled into him, fitting into his body, her head under his chin, their legs entwined, his arms around her shoulders.

There was so much he wanted to say, yet he didn't want to stuff it up. He ran his fingers through her hair, kissing her forehead. This moment, he knew, was perfection. Rather than being grateful for it, Harry was a glutton, he wanted more. This was the lovemaking he had read about, heard about. Two people, two hearts connecting in the most wonderful of ways. He knew he would never tire of loving Ginny. Loving Ginny was a gift, being loved by Ginny was his dream. He wanted, no needed to tell her what was in his heart, and prayed that she would tell him she felt the same.

"Gin. Gin, I have to tell you something. First, that was amazing. I want to do that with you for the rest of my life. Gin, you're my best friend. We've been through so much together. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realise, but Gin, I love you. I am totally head over heels in love with you, and I think we could be really amazing together. Will you give me a chance, give us a chance, Gin? Gin?"

Ginny let out a small snore. Harry looked down at her, she was sound asleep, a small sexy smile on her face. He kissed her forehead again, and she snuggled closer.

"I want to see that look on your face every morning from now on, okay?" whispered Harry. He dragged the covers up over their bodies, and with his precious Ginny in his arms, he succumbed to sleep.

He awoke alone. The coldness of the sheets next to him alerted him to the fact that Ginny must have been gone awhile. He wondered if she'd returned to her bedroom, if she'd changed her mind or worse, if she regretted the whole night.

He got up to go to the loo. Ginny's door was shut, so he knocked lightly. There was no answer.

"Gin?" he called. Silence. He went into the kitchen, and saw a note on the table. He picked it up, read it and swore.

Ginny had to go to Paris; she'd left to take an international Portkey at six this morning. There had been an incident and they'd called Ginny in. She wasn't sure when she'd be home, but she promised to be there tomorrow for lunch. She told him she hadn't wanted to leave him, but they'd talk when she got back. She signed it with a happy face and a big G.

Harry mused. They'd talk when she got back? When girls said they needed to talk, even Harry knew that usually wasn't good. Lunch tomorrow? Did they have plans? His glance fell on the calendar, and he did a double take.

Tomorrow was Christmas Day.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry finished wrapping his presents and gathered them up. He'd spent the afternoon at Ron and Hermione's; they were going to have a quiet Christmas Eve together, their first in their new flat, and were spending Christmas morning with the Grangers. Harry wouldn't see them till lunch time, at the Burrow.

He'd also popped over to see Andromeda, to see if there was anything last minute he could do for her, or that she had to do. He was happy to play with Teddy while she Apparated to the shops as she had run out of wrapping paper.

He grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron, happy to see Neville there; home for the holidays. He'd been chatting to Hannah Abbott. Harry remembered her from school. He made a promise to get them all together after Christmas; Neville saying he'd send an owl to Luna. After promising to give Ginny and all the Weasley's Neville's best wishes, Harry Apparated to Godric's Hollow.

Harry liked the little village, despite it bringing back horrible memories of a cold lonely Christmas Eve when he'd arrived with Hermione, saw his parents graves for the first time, and ended up fighting Nagini. He could see why it had appealed to his parents though, and, not for the first time, wished he had been able to grow up here, with his parents and possibly siblings.

This was actually the first Christmas Eve he had been there alone. The year after the war ended, Hermione had reminded Harry of how they had spent the previous Christmas Eve, and asked if he would like she and Ron to accompany him that year. He had agreed, then the following year, Ginny joined them. Last year it had just been Ginny and him. Now it was him alone.

He paused to look at the little house where his parents had been killed. He imagined Sirius visiting on his motorcycle, his mother browsing in the local shops, his dad having a pint at the tavern. He wanted that life, and if he couldn't have it for him, he wanted it for his children. His dream family felt close tonight.

Harry made a stop at the little church that was adjacent to the cemetery. He listened to the service, and enjoyed the carols sung by the choir. He lit a candle, for his parents, for Remus and Tonks, for Sirius and Dumbledore, for Fred and Cedric. After greeting Father Michaels and leaving a hefty donation, Harry made his way to the cemetery.

He made his way to his parent's headstone, laying a wreath on the grave site. He spoke to his parents, told them how he was doing since he'd last been there in June for Father's Day. He hesitated, them it was as if the floodgates opened. He told them about Ginny, how wonderful she was, how she was his best friend; how he wanted to do right by her; how she brought out the best in him.

He stopped to take a breath. He wished Ginny were here with him. He didn't mind being here alone, but everything was better when he was with her. The breeze blew, bringing with it a whisp of Ginny's flowery fragrance in the air. He breathed it in, the scent had surrounded him last night as they lay in bed together, and he knew he would never smell it and not think about last night.

The scent was getting stronger, and he looked around. Standing behind him was Ginny. He smiled at her, of relief she was home, and of happiness that she was there with him.

She came to stand beside him, laying a white rose with a festive green and red ribbon on their graves.

"You didn't think I'd let you come here all alone, did you?"she asked, smiling softly.

She slid her arm through his, and rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled. His heart was full.

"Let's go home, Harry," she said.

They left the cemetery, waving goodbye to Father Michaels, who watched them with a smile. Harry gathered her in a hug, and side Apparated them home. They landed with a pop, both stumbling into each other. Laughing, they looked at each other.

"Hi," said Ginny softly.

"Hi," repeated Harry.

"You put the tree up! It looks great, and you've even placed presents under it. Wait, it's missing the star on top. Have you tried the lights?"cried Ginny, looking around in delight.

"I was going to put the lights on tonight, and I was waiting for you to put the star on. Here," said Harry, getting it off the couch and handing it to her.

Ginny took it and placed the star on top of the tree. Harry turned on the Muggle lights he had insisted on trying this year. He turned off the main lights, so the lounge room was aglow in soft twinkly multi coloured lights.

"Oh Harry, it's beautiful," said Ginny, looking at the tree.

"Yes, you are," said Harry, putting his arms around her from behind.

She leaned into him, and he nuzzled her neck. She turned so they were face to face.

"I'm sorry I had to leave so early. I didn't want to wake you, in fact, I really didn't want to leave you. A friend of mine, Nikki, had an accident on site. It was one I had worked on earlier, so they called me in. I contained the curse, was able to check up on Nikki, and while I was there, I was able to say thanks, but no thanks to their job offer. I'm staying here, based in England. I-"

Harry cut her off by kissing her. She responded eagerly. Clothes started to be tossed aside.

"Thank you, that's the best Christmas present you could give me," said Harry, helping her pull her shirt off.

They made love under the twinkling Christmas lights, until Harry picked her up and carried her into his bedroom.

They awoke in the morning, and Harry discovered the joys of morning sex. He laughingly proclaimed this would be the first of their Christmas traditions, and Ginny reminded him of how much she had enjoyed their new Christmas Eve tradition.

They shared breakfast in bed, then reluctantly separated. Harry went to the Tonks's house, and Ginny went to the Burrow to help her mother in the kitchen before everyone arrived for lunch.

Teddy arrived in Harry's arms. He quickly went to Ginny, as Harry flooed back to help Andromeda bring things from her house to the Burrow.

"Merry Christmas, Teddy Bear!" cried Ginny, rubbing noses with him.

He giggled. "Merry Kismas Dinny," he said. "Biki?" he asked.

"Vicky is in the lounge room, come on, let's go and find her" she said, putting him down and taking his hand.

Harry and Andromeda flooed back, and she immediately went into the kitchen to help Molly. Harry went to the lounge, greeting all the Weasley's, shaking Arthur's hand, and kissing all the women on the cheek. He went to sit near Ginny, who was keeping an eye on Teddy.

Harry felt Ron and Hermione's eyes on him, and probably Ginny. They hadn't discussed if they were going to tell the family they were together, hell, they hadn't discussed the future themselves. They just knew they were going to be together.

When everyone had arrived, they handed out presents. Harry continued his godfather's tradition and gave Teddy a new broom, much to the dismay of Andromeda and Molly. Ginny assured them it didn't go too far off the ground, or too fast, and she would make sure Teddy had cushioning charms around him.

As Harry and Ginny had shopped together, there was a bit of teasing about the gifts being from them together. As they handed them out, George had said, "Ahem," and pointed up to some mistletoe hanging.

Ginny blushed and Harry laughed. "Nah, probably full of Nargles," he said.

"What's a Nargle?" asked George, dumbfounded.

"You'll have to ask Luna next time you see her," teased Harry.

Harry and Ginny exchanged gifts, with a deep look at each other. Neither opened them yet, preferring to have lunch first.

After lunch, Ginny lay a sleepy Teddy down on her bed and stayed with him until he fell asleep. She took the opportunity to open Harry's gift. It was a beautiful locket with a lovely 'G' inscribed on it. When she opened it, on the right side, interchanging photos of her family appeared, as if in a slide show. On the right was a picture of Harry.

"I hope you like it," said Harry, standing in the doorway. She shushed him, and they left her room and went across the hall to Ron's room.

"It's beautiful Harry, thank you. I love it, I really do," she said, putting it on.

Harry picked it up and held it in his hand. "I put all your family in there, and I included Fred and I've added Teddy. I hope that's all right?"

She nodded and kissed him softly. "Open yours," she said.

He Accio'd her gift to him. It was heavier than it looked, and it was quite large. Harry guessed it was a photo frame, and wondered who the picture might be of. He ripped the paper off, and stared.

It was a photo frame, but instead of a photo, it was lots of photos. It was a nostalgic look back at the past year. There were photos of Harry out for dinners with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, there were movie ticket stubs, there were dvd covers of Harry's favourite movies that he and Ginny had watched over and over. There were concert tickets, there was a photo of the two when they won that silly karaoke night so long ago, photos of him flying with Teddy; Teddy and him kicking the ball at the park. There was a menu from the restaurant they went to the night of Harry's birthday, there was his picture from the paper detailing a rescue he had been heavily involved with, and there was the Daily Prophet 's article proclaiming him to be the Sexiest Wizard of the Year.

"Wow, Ginny, that's amazing, when did you think of this? It's so wonderful,' said Harry, looking over it again, and finding new funny things to look at.

Ginny smiled. "Well, I found my movie stub in the pocket of a pair of jeans, I checked the pockets before I washed them. I put it aside, then next time we went to the zoo, I remembered and kept that ticket too. When I was thinking of what to get you, I was going through my photos, and I put them in the drawer where the movie tickets were. When I pulled the photos out to look through them, they came out too, and I loved the idea. So I started gathering little bits and pieces that were meaningful. Did you see this?" she pointed and laughed.

In the corner was a receipt for a pair of pink bras and matching panties. Harry threw his head back and laughed.

"God, I love you," he said, kissing her.

"I love you too Harry, "she said, kissing him back.

"Ahem," said George, interrupting them. "No mistletoe here, peoples," he smirked.

"Who needs mistletoe?" asked Harry, slinging an arm around Ginny, and she flung an arm around his waist.

George eyed them. "Well, well, about time, I must say. Listen, if I were you, I'd stay up here. Things are a bit tense downstairs at the moment," he said, winking at them and closing the door.

"I wonder what's going on?" said Ginny. They crept to the top of the stairs and listened.

"-can't believe you got me a cookbook for Christmas! Is that your way of telling me I'm a bad cook. I can't help it if I don't cook as well as your mother, Ronald!" cried Hermione.

"But 'Mione, you love books. You know I'll eat anything you cook, no matter how bad it is-"

"Honestly Charlie, how could you embarrass me like that! You pull out a ring box, what am I supposed to think? Of course I thought you were proposing. I didn't imagine you'd ask me to live with you, and give me the key to your house in a ring box. God, I feel so stupid!" shouted Anna.

"It's symbolic, Anna. I thought I was being romantic. How was I to know you were hoping for a ring? Anna, Anna, put the fry pan down! Mum, help! Aaahhh!"

Harry and Ginny could hear Ron and Charlie scurrying after their partners, apologising profusely.

They crept back to Ron's room, and collapsed on the bed, laughing.

"God, my brother's are so clueless," said Ginny.

Harry had to agree.


	8. Chapter 8

The party was in full swing, and there was still three hours till midnight. Hannah Abbott had closed the Leaky Cauldron for Seamus and Lavender's private party. It seemed like all the Gryffindors from Harry's and Ginny's years were there. A few Hufflepuffs were there too; friends of Hannah's. Luna and Cho were representing Ravenclaw.

Harry and Ginny arrived with Ron and Hermione. It was their first outing as a couple. Ginny's family had taken the news well. Ginny even thought she'd seen a tear of happiness in her mum's eyes as she hugged her goodbye when they'd left Christmas night.

The week between Christmas and New Year's Eve had been amazing. They'd done the same things they'd always done, watched movies and taken Teddy out, yet everything was different; was better.

They'd watched movies they watched many times before, but now it meant they could snog on the couch without worrying they were missing something. They still got their favourite take out, only now they could eat it in bed, with Harry licking the crumbs off her body.

Neville and Hannah came to greet them, while Hermione and Ron drifted off to get drinks and snacks. Luna greeted them too, and soon they were discussing the different places they had each travelled. Neville liked to use his summer holidays to explore different countries for exotic plants, and Luna was telling him about some plants in Switzerland.

Parvati rushed over to them. "Did you hear the news? Seamus is going to propose to Lavender tonight! Isn't that romantic? Don't let on to her though, it's going to be a surprise at midnight!" she squealed.

She rushed off to the next group, to spread the news. Harry and Ginny left Hannah and Neville; moving further in, to greet more class mates. Demelza Robbins was there with Dennis Creevy, and Dean Thomas arrived, looking for Luna.

An hour or so later, Harry and Ginny were slightly tipsy and dancing crazily. A group of them had moved on to the dance floor and Lee Jordan was playing some Muggle tunes. Harry and Ginny were showing them the moves to the 'Time Warp', having seen the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' movie several times.

Ginny excused herself to go to the ladies rest room. She passed Padma, snogging her girlfriend. She made a mental note to stop and have a chat on the way back.

She'd washed her hands and was checking her hair and make up when Susan Bones came out of an adjoining stall, and Cho entered the small room. They all eyed each other cautiously. Ginny broke the silence, deciding to have a bit of fun and get a bit of revenge for Harry.

"Susan, I understand I have you to thank for, what was it, 'training' Harry," she said, using her fingers to make quotation marks.

Susan blushed but nodded. She opened her mouth to speak but Ginny held her hand up.

"I just wanted you to know that, while your training has been appreciated, I have found Harry to have a natural talent in this area. You may have taken him from amateur to the starting line up, but I have taken him to the professional level."

Susan's jaw dropped. Cho smirked. Ginny rounded on her.

"Cho, you may have a thing for whips and chains, but on a first date, really? That may not be the thing for Harry and I, but I can tell you what he does like. We've had so much fun lingerie shopping this week, Harry's been spoiling me. He really likes me in satin.. Oh, and he likes silk ties, not chains."

Cho stared at her, and Susan broke into laughter. "Touche, Ginny!"

Padma then entered the ladies room. Seeing the other women, she looked around curiously. "What's going on?' she asked.

Ginny went up and kissed her on the cheek. "Now here is someone who I can say thank you to," she said.

"Huh?" asked Padma.

"Let's just say, thanks to your directions, I have no complaints about Harry when it comes to oral sex."

"Ginny!" gasped Padma, looking over her shoulder at her girlfriend, who was also trying to squeeze into the small ladies room.

"Let's just say, it really has been my pleasure. Ladies. Cho," acknowledged Ginny, smiling brightly as she left the bathroom.

She made her way back to the party with a big smile on her face. She looked around for Harry, but she couldn't see him. Suddenly she felt two arms wrap around her waist, and Harry's nose nuzzled her ear.

"I missed you. What takes so long in the ladies room, anyway? Us blokes, we go in, do what we have to do and leave. You girls, you go in, and then what? What's the big mystery? Hmmm?" asked Harry.

"I'll never tell," laughed Ginny. "Secret women's business! What's the time?" she asked.

"Another forty five minutes till midnight," sighed Harry, checking his watch.

"What do ya say we blow this joint," said Ginny.

"Really!" asked Harry, surprised but delighted. He was not a big 'party' person, preferring small intimate get togethers with people he knew and trusted.

Ginny pulled his head down and whispered in his ear. "I really would like to end this year and start the new one the right way. Naked, and in your arms, loving you."

Harry kissed her passionately, and raced around to grab her cloak and say goodbye to all their friends. They wished Seamus good luck with a wink, and asked Lavender to keep in touch with any news.

Fifteen minutes later they were home in bed. Twenty minutes after, they lay back, arm in arm, catching their breath.

"Bloody good way to end the year," quipped Harry. A quick glance at the Muggle radio alarm clock on Harry's bedside table showed a minute to go.

"Next year is going to be our year, Harry. We have so much to look forward to, don't you think?" asked Ginny, rolling over to straddle him.

"I want you to say that to me every year for the next fifty, sixty, seventy years, Gin," said Harry, grabbing her hips.

"Do you think we'll be doing this for the next sixty or seventy years," laughed Ginny, starting to move seductively.

Harry groaned. "Hell, yes. With you up there doing all the work, I can do this with you forever."

"That's some stamina, Potter. I'm impressed," teased Ginny.

Harry grabbed her hips and rolled her over and under him. "Let me show you stamina," he growled.

The radio started to count down. As Harry moved inside Ginny, the announcer yelled, "Happy New Year!"

Harry and Ginny kissed. What better way to start the New Year, than to be with the one you love.

The End.


End file.
